text:
Australians' confidence in the economy and their own financial situation has plunged to lockdown levels, just weeks before an election that is being fought on the rising cost of living.
Here in Australia and globally, markets are considering rate hikes, inflation, war and supply chain woes.
The latest consumer confidence data from Westpac shows it is down 5.6 per cent to 90.4 points in May.
That is the measure's lowest level since August 2020, when COVID lockdowns were hitting Victoria.
Westpac's rolling data is based on surveys with 1,200 people.
Its data for May was conducted just as the Reserve Bank announced the first interest rate rise in 11 years and inflation data showed prices are surging.
"Two stunning developments are clearly unnerving consumers," Westpac noted.
The data showed specific concerns from people about their household finances.
"The prospect of rising interest rates is clearly weighing on respondents despite the prospect of higher bank deposit rates," Westpac noted.
Despite this, it found spending is bouncing back from COVID lockdowns.
The survey results come less than 2 weeks before a federal election that is being fought on the rising cost of living.
ASX down again on Wednesday
The Australian share market was also in a dour mood on Wednesday that only improved in late-day trade.
At 12pm AEST, the ASX 200 was down 0.2 per cent. That took the benchmark to a 50-day low.
But it recovered and actually finished up 0.2 per cent to 7,065 points.
The top-performing stocks were Lifestyle (+16pc) and Life360 (+6.5pc).
The All Ordinaries also ended up 0.3 per cent after trading mostly in the red all day.
Super manager Magellan was up 0.8 per cent after appointing David George as chief executive and managing director.
Mr George most recently held the role of deputy chief investment officer at the Future Fund, where he oversaw an asset base of about $170 billion.
Losers included Link, which dived 15 per cent. The company told media it was not aware why this significant move was happening.
Graincorp was down 0.9 per cent, even after the key food company posted a 50 per cent increase in revenue.
The ASX-listed company says it's doing better due to better planting conditions for crops, along with higher demand for grain amid tightening supply globally.
The supply of grain has been hit by the war in Ukraine, for instance.
US markets still volatile
The Australian share market's volatility down came as markets globally mulled a maelstrom of factors, including war, inflation, rate hikes and supply-chain woes.
Wall Street also had volatile trade on Tuesday (local time) but the end losses were less significant.
The Dow Jones closed 0.3 per cent down, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq both recovered some losses, with 0.3 and 1 per cent gains respectively.
The Dow dipped as the market prepared for inflation data to be released tonight (Australian time).
European markets also recovered some losses, with the DAX up 1.2 per cent.
Meanwhile, the price of oil is down again, with it now below $US100 a barrel for Brent. The fall comes amid concerns about continued lockdowns in China, which could ease demand.
Bitcoin is also taking another battering.
It has lost about $US10,000 ($14,418) in a week. That is a quarter of its value, which takes the leading cryptocurrency to $US31,000.
What will the US inflation data show?
The last round of inflation data in the US showed another surge in prices.
Headline inflation is sitting at 8.5 per cent, with the March data showing it is now at its highest level since December 1981.
That is being led by surges in energy prices, including oil, and even on food. It is a similar story here in Australia, however, our headline inflation is lower at about 5 per cent.
Even without the spikes, the US core inflation is still at about 6.5 per cent.
Analysts are tipping that the US data for April will show the situation is calming down, however, that is not a broad consensus.
"The consensus of US economists expect headline inflation to decelerate significantly from 1.2 per cent/month in March to only 0.2 per cent/month in April because retail petrol prices have stabilised," ANZ analysts wrote.
"But core inflation is expected to step up slightly from 0.3 per cent/month in March to 0.4 per cent/month in April."
Higher-than-expected inflation could mean another interest rate hike.
Currently, the yield on 10-year treasury notes is slightly down on yesterday, below 3 per cent, showing the market is not expecting a rate hike as much.
The data comes out just before midnight, Australian time.


text:
Nascon Allied Industries is on the way to delivering one of the biggest profit advances from the food/beverages group at the end of 2017. The salt manufacturing company has sweetened shareholders’ expectations so far in the year with a year-on-year jump of 130% in after tax profit at the end of the third quarter trading last September.
The principal business of the company is refining and sales of edible, bulk and Industrial salt as well as manufacturing of tomato paste, vegetable oil and food seasoning. Dangote Industries Limited owns 62.19% of Nascon Allied Industries’ issued share capital.
At over N4 billion, after tax profit was standing a clear 67% above the 2016 full year closing figure at the end of the third quarter. It is headed to grow profit for the third straight year from a drop in 2014. The impressive earnings performance and outlook for the company this year has seen a share price advance of over 178% on January opening at December 12 close.
The company has stepped up revenue growth and a strong gain in profit margin has empowered profit capacity. The ability to convert an increasing proportion of the growing revenue into profit is the operating strength for Nascon Allied Industries in 2017.
The company closed third quarter operations with a turnover of N20.71 billion, which is a year-on-year growth of 62%. Based on the third quarter growth rate, sales revenue is projected at over N28 billion for Nascon Allied Industries at the end of 2017. Turnover is therefore expected to speed up from a 13% growth in 2016 to over 53% in 2017.
At over N13 billion, cost of sales remains large relative to revenue though a slowdown was achieved in the third quarter. That was good enough to enhance gross profit margin from 33% in the same period in 2016 to 37% at the end of September 2017. That permitted a 79% advance in gross profit to N7.63 billion.
The rest of the developments in the income statement reinforced the moderation of cost of sales and boosted profit capacity. These include an outstanding growth in investment income to over N141 million – which has far exceeded the full year figure in 2016.
Administrative cost also moderated relative to sales revenue and distribution expenses declined moderately. There was a sharp drop of 61% in finance expenses to N72 million in reflection of a minor balance sheet debt of only N38.6 million.
After tax profit amounted to N4.05 billion at the end of the third quarter, an increase of 130% year-on-year. The full year expectation is N5.6 billion for Nascon Allied Industries at the end of 2017. That would be a 131% advance over the profit figure of N2.42 billion the company posted at the end of 2016. After tax profit had increased by 14.7% in the 2016 full year.
Net profit margin has improved from 13.8% to 19.6% over the review period. The improvement reflects accelerating sales revenue and a general moderation of costs.
The company earned N1.53 per share at the end of September. The full year expectation is N2.11 for Nascon Allied Industries in 2017. It earned 91 kobo at the end of 2016 and gave out 70 kobo per share in cash dividend.

domain: news


text:
A subsidiary of Ningbo Xianfeng New Material Co, whose major shareholder is Kresta’s new boss Lu Xianfeng, made a play for the Australian firm last week.
Kresta on Tuesday said an independent expert’s report prepared by KPMG had found the 23 cents a share offer from Suntarget Trading to be fair and reasonable.
As a result, the directors of Kresta that are not associated with the offer have recommended shareholders accept the bid from the Chinese predator.
A statement from Kresta chairman Richard Taylor said the offer was fair and a premium to the company’s share price in the three months before the bid was made.
He also said that there was still much work to be done on a restructure of Kresta to improve its profits.
Shares in Kresta were flat at 23 cents at 1029 AEST.
Suntarget already holds a 19.9 per cent stake in Kresta.
The Chinese company has said that it was keen to acquire Kresta so it could have a greater influence over the Australian company and enhance its business opportunities.
It intends to maintain Kresta’s 700 strong workforce and its operations in Australia if its takeover succeeds.
The offer was made after Kresta in February reported a 69.7 per cent plunge in first half net profit to $565,000.
Kresta has made blinds for more than four decades and is the biggest window coverings manufacturer and retailer in Australia and New Zealand.


text:
For the past 2 years, YouTube has been working on making its platform a safer place. Today, in a blog post, YouTube announced that its service is now 97% encrypted. This way YouTube has became the second most secure Google product behind Gmail.
If you like our stories, there is an easy way to stay updated:
YouTube introduced HTTPS support 2 years ago, but traffic to the platform has been growing at a huge speed ever since, and has contributed to making YouTube’s mission much more difficult than originally planned. Of course, HTTPS was also a reason in itself for which more people felt confident to use YouTube’s video service:
[quote]We found that HTTPS improved quality of experience on most clients.[/quote]
Now YouTube is aiming to phase out the remaining 3% of insecure connections over time, something we feel confident they will achieve very soon. So now you can go back to watching your favourite videos of cats, cars, cooking or even unicorns 😎
You might also like
More from YouTube
YouTube Brings Unskippable 30-Second Ads To TV
YouTube is bringing longer unskippable ads to its TV app, unless you're paying for the platform's premium subscription YouTube says these …
Get Ready To Choose Your YouTube Handle
YouTube is introducing handles to make it easier for members to find and connect with each other. Your handle will be …
YouTube Now Lets You Add A Voiceover To Your Shorts
YouTube is adding one of its most-requested features to Shorts; the ability to add a voiceover, like narration and original …
YouTube Starts Adding Watermarks To Downloaded Shorts Clips
YouTube has started adding watermarks to downloaded Shorts clips to stop users from cross-posting them to other platforms.
YouTube Expands Offense Warnings To Desktop, Updates Payments System
New updates for creators! A dedicated payments account within AdSense, and warnings on potentially offensive text detected by AI.
YouTube Offering Podcast Networks Up To $300k To Film Episodes
YouTube is offering financial incentives to podcasting networks to adapt their shows to a video format and share them on …
YouTube Adds Guided Support For Community Guideline Violations
YouTube has updated its review process to provide creators with specifics about the reportedly violative video and facilitate a resolution.
YouTube Announces #YouTubeBlack Voices Creator Class Of 2022
YouTube's second edition of its $100 million #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund has announced 135 worldwide winners.


text:
The last few years have seen the appearance of several models of smartphones with foldable screens. Samsung has been one of the busiest manufacturers, releasing no fewer than three models in two years: the Galaxy Z Fold, Fold 2 and Flip. However, these models are still very expensive and their sales volumes have not been made public for the moment.
A future model with two hinges, that is to say with a screen folded in three, could soon make its appearance. In any case the patents have been filed and the new model is believed to be in development.
The advantage of such a smartphone would be to have an even larger screen than that found on the Galaxy Z Fold, truly approaching that of a tablet, with a 16:9 or 18:9 format, all the while transportable in one’s pocket. It would obviously be ideal for multitasking, better for playing some video games or watching a movie on the go.
These speculations were relayed by the economic news site Nikkei Asia. As the company is not expected to present a successor to the Galaxy Note 20 this year, it could be that the South Korean manufacturer will decide to present this new device this summer.
Since new generations of the Galaxy Z Fold (the 3rd) and the Flip (the 2nd) should also be announced by then, this would bring the number of folding models in its catalog to three. However, it’s hard to imagine that they will sell as well as the Galaxy Note range, which sells more than 10 million units every year.
According to some estimates, the company is believed to have sold 3.5 million folding smartphones in 2020, out of the more than 250 million devices the manufacturer has shifted worldwide.
However, the threat of an unprecedented global shortage of components, an unexpected consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, could dampen ambitious forecasts for this year. JB
Apple to discontinue iMac Pro production—reports
Google rolls out Live Caption feature for Chrome browser
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.


text:
Elephant-based tourism is an experience sought by thousands of visitors to the Mekong region. Despite its controversy, elephant-based tourism remains a perennially popular holiday activity. While evidence shows that excellent levels of elephant welfare and wellbeing can be achieved at elephant camps, the tourism industry must acknowledge that a few bad players continue to damage the reputation of the entire industry. This is not a new problem, and despite the positive gains made by the industry and by many of the outstanding elephant camps, inflammatory and divisive debates surrounding the ethics of elephant tourism continues.
Mass tourism combined with inadequate regulation has long been cited as a leading contributor to environmental degradation in Southeast Asia. But there are a growing number of examples where governments and regions are reversing the seemingly inevitable march towards irreparable environmental destruction. The regeneration of degraded ecosystems caused by mass tourism is possible, and so too can elephant tourism be compatible with responsible travel.
COVID-19 presents a serendipitous opportunity for elephant-based tourism. With the bulk of elephant camps still closed, the industry has the time to reset itself and restructure camp management in a way that eliminates previously poor standards and methods of captive elephant management. As proposed by other tourism sectors vulnerable to mass tourism, elephant camps should consider offering a higher quality product, complete with better elephant welfare and improved camp practices.
When borders are open again visitors are looking forward to spending money. Given the popularity of elephant tourism, this industry will once again benefit. Elephant camps should be confident that offering a higher ticket price will not be a deterrent to visitation numbers. But of course an investment in fixing old practices will need to be made. Asian Captive Elephant Standards can assist camps to upgrade their old standards to meet international expectations of elephant welfare and camp quality. With time, elephant camps and national tourism markets will see that a short-term investment can bring long-term rewards to elephants and to the entire sector. Being in the presence of an elephant while on holiday in the Mekong region is a memory to be cherished for a lifetime. Post COVID-19, let’s ensure the future of this industry is a responsible one.
Dr Ingrid Suter
For Asian Captive Elephant Standards (ACES)


text:
PepsiCo is rolling out an updated Pepsi Zero Sugar formula in the US to be accompanied by an NFL Super Bowl campaign and a 10-million-unit sampling giveaway, according to the company. The formula and marketing program will be announced this morning. The tagline for the new product is “Zero Never Tasted So Good. Try it to Believe it.” Advertising will tout a “New Improved Taste.”
DETAILS. The previous PepsiCo Zero Sugar product was essentially the same formula as Pepsi Max, which was phased out after being switched to Pepsi Zero Sugar branding in late 2016. While the new Pepsi Zero Sugar formula still contains aspartame and acesulfame potassium (ace-K), the sweetener system has been updated to provide “a more refreshing and bolder taste profile,” according to PepsiCo. The new recipe also eliminates the ginseng and higher caffeine level that was a holdover from the Pepsi Max formula. “Consumer preference testing has shown that the new Pepsi Zero Sugar outpaces the old formula across the board, including key metrics like overall liking and purchase intent,” PepsiCo said in a statement.
COMPETITION. Coca-Cola Zero Sugar last reformulated with a new sweetener system in mid-2021 with a full-scale marketing campaign that posed the question: “The Best Coke Ever?” The sensational question was intended to inspire “debate” among Coke drinkers, Coke marketers said at the time. Pepsi Zero Sugar brand managers are looking to make up ground against Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. Pepsi Zero Sugar holds less than a 1.0 dollar share at retail, while Coke Zero Sugar holds about a 4.0 dollar share. Coke Zero Sugar posted a +30% dollar growth rate during the first nine months of 2022, while Pepsi Zero Sugar grew +17%.
© 2023 Beverage Digest.
Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing


text:
Volkswagen on Tuesday started production of the ID.4 crossover at its plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the automaker's first electric vehicle to be built on U.S. soil.
The milestone comes three years after the automaker announced plans to spend $800 million and create 1,000 jobs at the Chattanooga plant to support EV production. The plant is also where VW builds the Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport SUVs.
The ID.4 is currently the most popular EV of all Volkswagen Group brands, with 190,000 sold globally since the vehicle's launch in late 2020. Starting U.S. production is expected to boost numbers as VW has confirmed a lower starting price in the U.S. for locally-built ID.4s.
The ID.4 is currently imported to the U.S. from Germany, and carries a starting price of $41,955, including a $1,195 destination charge. VW has previously hinted that locally-built ID.4s will be priced from around $36,000, though the automaker didn't confirm a figure with Tuesday's production announcement.
Volkswagen ID.4 built at Chattanooga
Instead, VW confirmed the starting price of the ID.4 will be lowered when a version with a 62-kilowatt-hour battery enters production at Chattanooga later this year. Deliveries of U.S.-built ID.4s will start in October.
VW aims to build ID.4s in Chattanooga at a monthly rate of 7,000 units by the end of 2022, with the goal to further increase output through 2023. Batteries will mostly be sourced from an SK Innovation plant located in Georgia.
VW Group has big plans for EVs in the U.S. The automaker in March announced a $7.1 billion investment to expand its EV lineup across North America—a region the automaker sees as having the greatest potential for growth. VW Group wants to have more than 25 EVs on sale in North America by 2030, and have EVs account for 55% of its total sales in the region by that date.
And a number of these will be built locally. There are reports the upcoming ID.Buzz van may eventually be built in the U.S., and VW has also confirmed plans to build Scout-branded electric SUVs and pickup trucks here from 2026.


text:
61% of businesses surveyed in our FraudTrack survey believed that resource constraints brought on by COVID-19 disruptions would limit their investment in fraud detection and prevention tools in 2021. This is good news for the fraudsters ready to prey on your business.
Many businesses have been forced into drastic cost cutting measures over the last year in order to stay afloat, but cutting back on fraud detection and prevention measures is risky business given the potentially huge impact of fraud.
The potential scale of the problem is clear when you consider more than three-quarters (76%) of the businesses surveyed admitted that they are more exposed to fraud since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but somewhat alarmingly, fewer than half (46%) have undertaken fraud risk assessments since March 2020.
The real cost of fraud
By failing to invest in fraud prevention and detection, businesses risk losing much more should they be hit with a big fraud. Of the businesses that we surveyed that had experienced fraud, 27% lost more than £250,000 to fraud last year, some significantly more. Depending on the size of your business, this could mean the difference between survival and going under.
Harder to quantify but equally significant is the potential damage to a business’s brand and reputation from fraud if it makes the headlines. This can be have a very costly and long-lasting impact.
What can businesses do to prevent fraud?
Our survey found that 67% of businesses believed that fraud risk had increased due to working from home. However, only 42% had taken specific steps to ensure their data is more secure.
We always advise and encourage our clients to undertake regular fraud risk assessments. This vital business practice is perhaps more important than ever this year after the dramatic shift in business operations and can be an effective way of identifying and addressing potential fraud weak spots before it’s too late.
By undertaking regular fraud risk assessments and investing in addressing any weaknesses businesses can proactively help protect themselves against financial crime including some of the current commonly occurring frauds:
- ‘CEO frauds’ often involving synthetic identity fraud or ‘deep fakes’;
- supply chain frauds made possible by inadequate due diligence on new suppliers; and
- financial statement frauds where finance teams succumb to pressure to report positive results.
When your business is grappling with a range of tough decisions regarding cost controls and operational concerns, it can be tempting to reduce your investment in fraud prevention. However, to do so would be leaving your business vulnerable to the potentially catastrophic impact of fraud. Cutting back on fraud prevention and detection processes is a false economy when a relatively small outlay now, together with regular reassessments of fraud risk, could be one of the biggest savings your business can make.
If you would like advice on how to assess fraud risks and how to make effective investments in fraud prevention, please get in touch.
BDO Director, Forensic Accounting
Tel: +44 (0)7711 887 413
Return to the Fraud Hub for more fraud insights and articles
Back to top


text:
Lighter side of architecture
The facade of 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York is lit up with 250 projected photographs of smiling New Yorkers during the unveiling of ``Monument to Smile,'' a massive public art exhibition by European artist Agnes Winter, on Thursday. ``Monument to Smile'' will be on display until next Saturday.Jun 02, 2007
This photo has been viewed 1080 times.
Comments will be moderated. Remarks containing abusive and obscene language, personal attacks of any kind or promotion will be removed and the user banned.
Listing from 2017-03-16 to 2017-03-23
- Most read
- Most e-mailed
1US plans to sell Taiwan arms: reports
3EDITORIAL: KMT’s dubious view on espionage
4Events and entertainment listings
5Taiwanese weightlifter promoted to Beijing Olympics gold


text:
EghtesadOnline: First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri said a total of 122 million tons of goods were handled at Iranian ports during the first 10 months of the current fiscal year (March 20-Jan. 19).
Speaking during a visit to Imam Khomeini Port in the southern Khuzestan Province, Jahangiri didn’t say how the volume of throughput fared compared with last year’s corresponding period, Fars News Agency reported on Saturday.
A total of 9.13 million tons of goods were loaded and unloaded at Iranian ports in the ninth month of the current Iranian year (Nov. 21-Dec. 20, 2020), indicating an 18.8% decline compared with the same month of the year before, Tasnim News Agency cited the Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran as reporting.
Loading and unloading of essential goods, however, increased by 23.4% during the month under review to stand at 1.84 million tons.
Those of metals increased by 21.2%, while those of construction materials and minerals decreased 17.5%, machinery 35.8%, fertilizers and chemicals 28.4%, leather 9.4%, containerized cargo 85.98% and petroleum products 4.6% year-on-year.
Jahangiri described Imam Khomeini as “one of the most important ports of Iran and the main hub of essential goods imports”.
Imam Khomeini Port recently saw the inauguration and ground-breaking ceremonies for 18 investment and development projects worth a total of 15.79 trillion rials ($65 million).
The inauguration was attended by Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami and CEO of the Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran Mohammad Rastad.
Among the most important inaugurated projects were four multipurpose warehouses, oil product reservoirs and a mechanized grain terminal.
Two projects for the construction of edible oil refineries also came on stream.
Other projects were the overhauling of some of the wharfs and railroads inside Imam Khomeini Port premises, dredging operations, fixing breakwaters and providing proper lighting for the port’s launchers.
Close to 90% of Iran’s demand for livestock feed raw material, as well as 79% of grains, are imported through this southern port.
Last year (March 2019-20), the port handled nearly 15.7 million tons of essential goods.
Director General of Khuzestan Province’s Ports and Maritime Organization Adel Deris has told IRNA that Imam Khomeini Port enjoys 40 wharfs, 140 kilometers of railroads within its premises and is equipped with the latest loading and unloading facilities.
In the last fiscal year (March 2019-20), 3 million tons of goods were transported from this port via 53,000 wagons.
Also known as necessity goods, essential goods are products consumers will buy, regardless of changes in income levels.
“A total of 4 million tons of essential goods were imported to Iran during the 10 months to Jan. 19,” Amir Talebi, an official with Government Trading Corporation of Iran, said.
“Since the beginning of the current Iranian year [March 20], 194 vessels carrying essential goods docked and unloaded at ports of the country. Imam Khomeini Port located in the southern Khuzestan Province accounted for 45% of imports, Bandar Abbas, a southern port city in Hormozgan Province, constituted 31%, and Chabahar in Iran's southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, accounted for 17% of total imports; the remaining volume entered the country via northern ports,” he was quoted as saying by IRNA recently.
Commission Votes for Raising Subsidy Rate
Majlis Joint Commission recently decided to change the exchange rate for imports of essential goods from 42,000 rials to 175,000 rials per dollar, suggesting that the prices of essential imports would be set in accordance with exchange rates of the so-called secondary FX market, known by its Persian name Nima.
The real market price of the dollar is about 60% higher.
According to Rahim Zare’, the spokesperson of commission, the move aims at unifying the exchange rates and preventing the supply of imports at free market rate by importers as well as fighting corrupt and rent-seeking practices.
“Importers used to sell their products at prices determined by the free market despite the government’s allocation of subsidized forex at the rate of 42,000 rials per US dollar,” he was quoted as saying by IRNA.
The government’s revenues are projected to increase by 400 trillion rials ($1.6 billion), provided that the commission’s proposal is approved by the parliament during its open sessions.
Majlis Joint Commission, composed of representatives of all specialized parliamentary commissions, is responsible for reviewing budget bills as well as five-year development plans proposed by the government before they are put to a vote by MPs.
Overall Decline in Imports of Essential Goods
Despite the rise in imports of essential goods in the month under First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri, their overall imports, except for corn, have seen decline this year compared with last year, Domestic Commerce Commission of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture reported, citing figures released by the Central Bank of Iran.
Over nine months to Dec. 20, the central bank paid less than $4.42 billion at the exchange rate of 42,000 rials per US dollar for provision of essential goods, registering a 41% decline compared with the corresponding period of last year, Ashraf Mortezaei, an expert with the commission, said.
“Order registration for imports of essential goods stood at $12.24 billion during the nine-month period, posting a 17% year-on-year decline. Since the beginning of the Iranian year [March 20] to Dec. 20, a total of $9.25 billion have been allocated to essential goods, which is $500 million less than last year’s similar period.”
The official noted that the value of discharged essential goods stood at $6.23 billion in the nine months to Dec. 20, indicating a 30% drop compared with $8.9 billion of the last year’s same period.
On five essential goods that have the highest impact on households’ livelihoods, namely corn, soybean meal, unprocessed oil, oilseeds and barley, Mortezaei said these items accounted for half the value of subsidized currency allocated to imports of essential goods during the period, which shows a 5% decrease YOY.
“The government planned to allocate $6.4 billion to import these five items during the fiscal 2020-21. By Dec. 20, a total of $4.75 billion were allocated and $4.3 billion were paid, showing that the government has to pay the remaining sum of $2.1 billion by March 20, 2021,” Otaghiranonline.ir quoted her as saying.
According to the official, over $3.08 billion were provided for importing corn, soybean meal and barley in the nine-month period, showing a 14% YOY decline.
“Prices of raw oil and oilseeds and, accordingly, vegetable oils saw between 15-25% growth in the current year. Over the last nine months, 702,000 tons of raw oil worth $559 million were discharged from customs. Imports of oilseeds stood at 1.7 million tons worth $807 million, indicating a 15% rise in weight but a 7% decline in value YOY. Altogether, customs clearance of oilseeds and raw oil imports indicates a decline of 22% in weight and 7% in value YOY,” he said.
According to members of Domestic Commerce Commission of ICCIMA, challenges facing the supply of essential goods in the next year (March 2021-22) include government intervention, misguided policies regarding market regulation, hurdles in the way of timely allocation of foreign exchange, lack of transparency about the country’s strategic reserves, barriers facing transfer of currency, inflation and decrease in demand due to the shrinkage in people’s purchasing power, and problems regarding production as a result of the burgeoning money supply.
As per the budget bill for the next fiscal year (March 2021-22), the government will provide $8 billion for provision of essential goods. But the correlation between the sum of allocated forex and the exchange rate has not been stated and the budget fails to indicate how long the government would keep the cheap imports policy.
On the other hand, there is not enough transparency regarding subsidized forex allocation and pricing. The level of essential goods reserves by March 20, 2021, and the next year has not been specified.
Imports of essential goods and market regulation policies, as well as the government’s policies, to protect and promote the economic wellbeing of households are ambiguous.
Kaveh Zargaran, chairman of the commission and secretary of the Federation of Iranian Food Associations, believes that the government is likely to rid itself of subsidized import policy completely by the end of the current fiscal year (March 20), given Industries Minister Alireza Razm-Hosseini’s approach.
“As such, prices will increase to some extent and demand will decline and a relative recession will come eventually. Food and related industries are likely to experience a relative recession by the end of the year and the beginning of the new Iranian year,” he said.
“The flow of imports has all but stopped by the importers of raw materials and essential goods who are unwilling to take risks, given the pressure of sanctions and the state of government’s budget and the central bank.”
The industries minister recently said that as the representatives of producers and economic operators, the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade is looking for a unified foreign currency exchange rate and expects the parliament to take a revolutionary decision in this regard.
“A total of 17.46 million tons of essential goods worth $8.76 billion were discharged from Iranian customs during nine months to Dec. 20,” said Rouhollah Latifi, the spokesperson of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration.
“Overall imports stood at over 25 million tons during the same period, of which 70% were categorized in 25 groups of essential goods,” he added.
A total of $26.8 billion worth of goods were imported into Iran during the period.
“Five essential items, namely corn, barley, oilseeds, raw oils and soybean meal, were subsidized imports weighing 12.29 million tons worth $4.14 billion. They accounted for 49% of the country’s overall imports and 70.5% of overall essential goods imports in terms of weight,” he was quoted as saying by IRNA.
Corn imports stood at 7.24 million tons worth $1.77 billion during the period under review. It was the top subsidized imported commodity both in terms of weight and value.
It was followed by 1.84 million tons of oilseeds worth $949.75 million, 756,121 tons of raw oils worth $627.86 million, 1.1 million tons of soybean meal worth $461.74 million and 1.34 million tons of barley worth $326.83 million.
Among other essential goods imported during the period were pharmaceuticals and medical equipment worth $1.23 billion, rice worth $707.87 million, wheat worth $696.51 million, raw sugar worth $357.23 million, manufacturing machinery worth $327.27 million, dried tea worth $221.18 million, heavy duty tires worth $206.24 million and paper pulp worth $144.25 million.
According to the official, publication paper worth $142.6 million; fertilizers worth $123.78 million; pulses worth $111.36 million; frozen red meat worth $104.73 million; technical pesticides worth $58.43 million; livestock pharmaceuticals worth $47.02 million; butter worth $38.47 million; fresh red meat worth $28.61 million; print paper worth $3.79 million; and chicken worth $203,408 were the rest of essential imports during the period under review.
March 20-Dec. 20 imports of essential goods indicate a 2% decline in weight compared with the same period of last year, Latifi said, “During the one-month period to Dec. 20, over 2.13 million tons of these goods were imported to the country, which is nearly 200,000 tons more than the current year’s monthly average and 450,000 tons more than the previous month [ended Nov. 20].”


text:
By Carl Love | March 16, 2023
Think Temecula-area tourism, and wine country, Pechanga Resort Casino and Old Town come to mind.
Weddings? Unless it’s a couple locals getting hitched, who would bother?
Crystal and Joshua Huckabee did bother, as their shared last name indicates.
Both 31, they’ve known each other since high school and now live in Ontario. Yet they opted to get married at Wilson Creek Winery in Temecula Valley Wine Country because they got engaged locally and visit the area at least twice a month.
Crystal, an anthropology professor, and Joshua, a chef, are wine and food people, adding to the Temecula appeal.
They got married Sept. 15, 2022, having to sweat that the area was threatened by a fire. They did it in a vineyard, the vines plump, the hills rolling, the temperature in the 70s … on and on go the benefits of getting married near Temecula.
Think fairy tale.
About 115 people attended the affair, which cost about $45,000. Talk about pumping up the local economy.
Jeff Littrell, director of events and catering at Wilson Creek, said that on any day, “we have small and large ceremonies, themed weddings inspired by Star Wars or Disney characters, pets featured in the ceremony and couples arriving on horseback or horse-drawn carriage.”
We’re so not the basic Las Vegas wedding-chapel scene.
A note from Visit Temecula Valley, a marketing organization, puts it well: “From the Snow White-inspired cottage at Briar Rose Winery to a horse drawn-carriage through the vineyards, Temecula Valley offers a wide array of beautiful places for stealing a kiss, popping the question or sealing the deal.”
Who wouldn’t want to get down on one knee after such a sales pitch?
Of course, there are the wineries, but there’s also a chapel for weddings in Old Town Temecula, hot air balloons, the Rose Haven Heritage Garden, Harveston Lake, Vail Lake and so many more options. It’s a wonder vows aren’t being exchanged as folks idle on our congested freeways. There’d definitely be a crowd.
Jokes aside, weddings are a serious business given the money involved. That’s one reason locals are so excited about the hitches happening here.
According to Annette Neilsen, a weddings/event specialist in the area for more than 20 years, the average local wedding now costs about $65,000 and there are at least 5,000 a year here. Those wedding bells are making cash registers ring.
About 18% are local residents, meaning a lot of outsiders are being exposed to the Temecula area via their weddings.
Brianna Perez, of Avensole Winery in wine country, said her business does more and more weddings for out-of-state couples.
They cite the area’s natural setting, romantic views and “elegant ambiance,” she said. That’s something wineries specialize in.
“As a destination location, couples also look for regions that include immersive settings,” she added. “I find our couples adore the charm of not only the Temecula landscape, but also the engaging community and its captivating small local businesses, where most host pre- and post-wedding gatherings.”
“It couldn’t have been better,” the happy bride said.
Another indicator of the growth in weddings can be found at Stryder Transportation, where the firm’s wedding-related business has grown 266% from 2018 to 2022, said Jodee Morgenroth, who manages the shuttle’s sales and hospitality.
Even if they don’t move here after being exposed to our area from all the weddings happening locally, many people surely return for visits.
Sure enough, Crystal and Joshua say they would probably move here if they got local jobs.
It would be another fairy tale ending for them.


text:
Republication of Postings from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solid-State Lighting Program by Jim Brodrick, U.S. Department of Energy The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently released a GATEWAY report on a parking-garage demonstration conducted at U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) headquarters in Washington, DC, which serves as a classic illustration of the savings […]
The Lighting Controls Association is pleased to announce that EE300: Lighting Control of LEDs, one of the Association’s popular online Education Express distance education courses, has been completely revised. Residing here, Education Express provides in-depth education about lighting control and controllable ballast technology, application, system design and commissioning, as well as meta-issues such as commissioning, […]
Intelligent, controllable LED lamps offer a new paradigm for home lighting control. Julie Jacobson, editor of ELECTRONIC HOUSE, analyzes the pros and cons of 13 products implementing WiFi/Internet of Things, 6LoWPAN, ZigBee, Z-Wave and Bluetooth. Read it here.
At the Department of Energy’s 10th Annual SSL R&D Workshop in Long Beach, California, nearly 250 attendees discussed the next great leap forward in performance of LED systems. In his February 8, 2013 SSL Postings, “Some Thoughts on the Long Beach R&D Workshop,” DOE SSL Program Manager Jim Brodrick related an interesting statement by Susanne […]
Guest post by Jim Brodrick, U.S. Department of Energy There’s a great deal of interest these days in occupancy sensors as a way to save energy in outdoor commercial lighting applications. Done right, they can increase the energy savings from a lighting system that’s already efficient – such as one based on LEDs, whose inherent […]
EC&M has published an article about trends in lighting control, noting occupancy-based shutoff and daylight harvesting and then focusing on LED control, including wireless options. Read it here.
On Wednesday, April 11, 2012, at 2 p.m. EDT, ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR Magazine hosted a webinar, in partnership with Leviton, on the three main causes for compatibility issues when pairing energy-efficient lamps with dimmers designed for incandescent technology. On hand to speak about the issue was Craig DiLouie, ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR’s lighting columnist and acting education director […]
Lithonia Lighting’s Dave Ranieri penned an excellent short article on the potential of matching state-of-the-art lighting control with LED technology. He writes: “When paired with well-designed and integrated digital components, LED lighting systems are fully capable of executing common lighting control strategies, such as manual dimming, scheduling, occupancy sensing, and daylight harvesting. Moreover, the solid-state […]
Designing LED replacement lamps that are compatible with residential dimmers is complex given the diversity in product performance, creating a challenge for manufacturers to design lamps compatibel with a wide range of dimmers. On behalf of ASSIST, the Lighting Research Center investigated dimming performance of a range of LED replacement lamps, CFLs and incandescent lamps […]
by Jim Brodrick, Department of Energy As more and more LED lighting products have come onto the market, one issue that has generated considerable confusion is dimmability. As discrete devices, LEDs are fully dimmable, and as a result the technology has long been touted as being more suitable for dimming than other lighting technologies. Many […]


text:
Sheffield’s own ‘Times Square’ has opened
Sheffield’s New Era Square completed phase one of its development yesterday (17 September), as investors and councillors gathered to cut the ribbon on the city’s own “Times Square”.
Founded in 2013, the New Era Square development team set out a vision to build a “Sheffield Chinatown”, consisting of luxury apartments accommodating 686 students and 14 private residencies in a skyline-dominating 21 storey tower – the fifth tallest in the Steel City. The square will also act as a hub with a variety of cafes, international restaurants and retail units like KH Oriental supermarket, Costa Coffee and Dunkin’ Donut.
Jerry Cheung, managing director of New Era Development LTD said: “Everyone at New Era Development are thrilled with the launch. Phase One has been a long time coming; this project has been in the works since its conception in 2005 so to have reached the official half-way point is incredibly exciting.
“We’re delighted to already be underway with Phase Two of the project, and grateful for all the support we’ve had from businesses and investors during this development. The inclusion of the China-UK Incubator Unit should provide significant investment into the city and we hope will promote the China-UK trade in the Sheffield region as well as initiate a pro-active approach to international business trade. It has also given us the opportunity to partner with both Sheffield Hallam and Sheffield University and once complete it is set to be a great addition to the city.”
Councillor Mazher Iqbal, cabinet member for business and investment at Sheffield city council, said: “It’s been great to witness the New Era Square developments up close and to celebrate this remarkable achievement for the city centre.
“New Era Square will be a stunning gateway to the city, a superb standard of accommodation and vibrancy, whilst providing a strong connection to our ongoing business activity in China and the Far East.”


text:
Prince Harry ‘s controversial memoir “Spare” has been talked about for weeks, even long before it was officially released. It was known that the book would come out in the last quarter of 2022, but it was delayed out of respect for the recent death of Queen Elizabeth. Days before his official departure, on January 10, the Spanish version, called “En la Sombra”, was leaked, and the media feasted, publishing everything the prince had written on its pages.
It was such a fuss over the autobiography that Prince Harry broke a record by becoming the first member of the royal family to have the best-selling non-fiction book in the UK , citing sales figures of more than 400,000 copies in cover format. hard, ebook and audio on its first day of release; fact confirmed by Larry Finlay, managing director of Transworld, the division of the publisher that published the book in the United Kingdom, who said that the Guinness World Records (Guinness World Record) had confirmed it.
Well, that’s behind us. Prince Harry’s “Spare” sold more than 3.2 million copies worldwide after just one week of publication and will likely rank among the best-selling memoirs of all time. Publisher Penguin Random House announced on Thursday, January 19, that Prince Harry’s memoirs have sold 1.6 million copies in the United States alone. That’s a number comparable to first-week sales of blockbusters like former President Barack Obama’s “A Promised Land” and former First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Becoming,” which has sold more than 17 million copies since its release in 2018. .
Total announced sales for “Spare” are for print, audio and digital editions in the major English-speaking markets United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. Prince Harry’s book has been published in 15 other languages and editions are expected in 10 more languages, heralding “Spare” setting records for nonfiction literary works, but no book in memory comes close to the sales pace of the latest Harry Potter novel, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” which in 2007 sold more than 10 million copies in its first 24 hours.
According to Nielsen, “Spare” sold a total of 467,183 print copies through UK retailers, making it No. 1 on the charts, excluding e-book sales and audiobook copies. The UK division of the aforementioned Penguin Random House publisher stated that the book had sold 750,000 copies in the UK across all formats (hardcover, ebooks and audiobooks) in its first week.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, worked on his book with American novelist JR Moehringer, who also helped write Andre Agassi’s acclaimed “Open” and is the author of “The Tender Bar,” a memoir adapted by George Clooney in a movie starring Ben Affleck. Moehringer had to come out and defend some facts that fans picked up within the bio.
Be First to Comment


text:
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, told the Financial Times this week that purchasing a mining firm may improve Tesla’s supply of metals needed in electric vehicles, such as lithium, nickel, and copper, which are now in short supply. Musk stated that Tesla is eager to “address whatever constraints exist in expediting the world’s transition to sustainable energy” as the business strives to produce 20 million EVs per year by 2030, up from its current output of roughly one million.
Tesla has lithium supply agreements with companies like as Ganfeng Lithium Co, Livent Corp, and Albemarle Corp. Last year, the company’s lithium supply agreement with Piedmont Lithium Inc PLL.O was placed on hold. Other automakers and executives, like Carlos Tavares, CEO of Tesla rival Stellantis NV, have warned of a metals supply deficit in the vehicle industry.
Many in the mining business have noticed that buying an established metals company would cost significantly less than the $43 billion Musk bid earlier this year to purchase social media network Twitter Inc.
Tesla has no expertise with the time-consuming and labor-intensive operation of establishing and managing a mine, so industry observers have suggested the automaker to concentrate on purchasing an existing operator.


text:
apple announced quicktime 6.5 today, and some news about the software that is great news to mobile phone operators and owners alike. quicktime 6.5 offers the latest in 3gpp and 3gpp2 encoding, offering new features to wireless providers that will make it possible for them to more easily stream video content to users. also, quicktime 6.5 is the first media system to support cdma and gsm networks. what this means immediately is that users can produce high-quality, low-bandwidth media for their mobile devices. what this means long-term is that network providers have the tools necessary to provide high-quality streaming-media. it's only a matter of time before you're watching movie-trailers on your mobile phone, and not too much longer after that before you're watching the nightly news. check out apple's press-release, “apple expands 3gpp support with quicktime 6.5.”
user comments 70 comment(s)
|today??? (12:10pm est wed dec 24 2003)
have you been sleeping, thomas? perhaps you want to lay of some of that egg nog. quicktime was released last week tuesday! – by cpt
|great… (2:49pm est wed dec 24 2003)
just what we need. people driving 4000 pound automobiles watching tv and talking on the phone. – by m@
|news site you say? (4:18pm est wed dec 24 2003)
geez, half your news is old old news. heck flexbeta.net does a better job than you guys. – by outlandishtrendz
|he is right (7:27pm est wed dec 24 2003)
all the news is at least a day late …..
i always read you but here i reread so much old info – by anonymous
|i like it old (11:00am est thu dec 25 2003)
… because then people who have already researched the ramifications have something meaningful to add to the discussion.
– by kev, a swing dancer
|geeks (10:30am est fri may 28 2004)
you lot are just loser that talk through mobile phone thingys so get a life and move away from the computer screen and out into the open air where you will stop being all pale and white and maybe even get a tan!!!! – by justine bishop


text:
Seattle Times, Sony Online Entertainment head, John Smedley, sees a future for MMOs on the PS3. He tells the paper that MMOs are going to be a "real strong selling point for the PS3" and uses The Agency as an example. More collaboration between the online and console divisions makes sense now that SOE reports to Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Smedley believes that MMOs will reach a 50/50 ratio between men and women over the next decade. He believes some of these games will be "as big as hit movies." Funny thing is that there's already a few out there, like World of Warcraft -- too bad that one only belongs to Blizzard.


text:
The drawbacks of using third-party delivery services are prompting a number of chains to try a new way of exploiting the off-premise boom. Call it Delivery 2.0, a drift toward restaurants’ transporting more orders themselves as volumes grow and ordering patterns change.
Big-name proponents like Red Robin, Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill and Zoes Kitchen aren’t abandoning their collaborations with dedicated deliverers like Uber Eats, DoorDash and Amazon. But each is tempering that reliance with a self-delivery/third-party hybrid.
At Red Robin’s new delivery-only format, Red Robin Express, who carts the food is determined by how the order is placed. “If you’re a DoorDash customer and you use your DoorDash app, the order comes into our system and one of their drivers delivers it,” says Jason Rusk, VP of business innovation for the full-service burger chain. The customer expects DoorDash to be the party ringing the doorbell, since that’s the brand they’re dealing with.
That holds true for transactions that originate with the Express unit’s two other partners, Uber Eats and Grubhub.
But “if you go to Red Robin’s website and you want to order delivery, the nearest Red Robin restaurant will show up as a pinpoint, you plug in your order, and we bring the food to you.”
The experience is wholly a Red Robin interaction. “It gives us total control of the experience. It gives us total control of the data,” says Rusk.
The restaurant doesn’t have to grapple with manually inputting a delivery order because the placement system doesn’t integrate with Red Robin’s platform, andthere aren’t the usual fears about a brand being represented by an outside stranger. “With self-delivery, there is a friendly, smiling team member who understands our culture and knows how to take care of our guest,” says Rusk.
Bloomin’ Brands, parent of Outback and Carrabba’s, declined to discuss the particulars of the self-delivery/third-party system that’s being used at its new takeout-and-delivery-only concept. But descriptions of the Outback and Carrabba’s Express suggest the prototype is following processes similar to the setup at Red Robin Express.
Operationally, self-delivery is easier for Red Robin Express because of its location, Rusk noted. The store is in the middle of downtown Chicago, enabling employees to deliver most orders on foot. If a car ride is needed, they summon an Uber driver for a lift.
Yet even if there weren’t any of the usual challenges with self-delivery—hiring drivers, accessing cars, tweaking operations—the store would still have worked with third parties because of the marketing advantages they provide.
“If you ask the customer, overwhelmingly they want Red Robin to deliver to them,” says Rusk. “But that’s a Red Robin consumer. We know there are people who are loyal to their platforms,” and that platform might be the Yelp, Uber Eats or Grubhub app. “It’s what the consumer is asking for.”
Even a brand with the recognition of McDonald’s needs a listing on a third-party app to snag consumers’ attention, the franchisor’s CFO, Kevin Ozan, recently told investors. The brand’s short delivery time—25 minutes, on average—has moved it up on the listing of its delivery partner, Uber Eats. “You’re getting pushed up farther on the app and people will see that more often,” he explained. “The biggest opportunity for us on delivery is awareness.”
The lost exposure opportunities are the real yellow light on self-delivery, not the costs, says Red Robin’s Rusk. “Are the economics better if you do self-delivery vs. third party? The answer is ‘Yes,’” he says. “Pizza chains have been doing it for 25, 30 years.”
From a pure cost standpoint, the challenge is building volume—“quantities of deliveries per dollar spent,” says Rusk. As a delivery-only operation, 100% of the Express’ sales will factor into that equation.
But there’s still the matter of exposure on third-party apps.
“A necessary evil—that’s how we view third parties,” he says, noting that commissions typically run from 20% to 30%, product integrity and temperature are worries, and exceeding promised delivery times can be a problem.
The chain will be closely monitoring the setup of the Express store to see if that arrangement could work elsewhere.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.


text:
Thousands of phil&teds jogging strollers are being recalled in the United States and Canada after reports of users getting fingers caught in a hinge mechanism. The joggers are popular with active parents eager to enjoy the outdoors with their little ones. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said the recall is being conducted in cooperation with the producer, phil&teds USA Inc., of Fort Collins, Colo. It affects about 22,000 strollers in the United States and 7,200 in Canada.
There have been three reports of injuries to adults whose fingers became caught in the hinge mechanism, including a fingertip amputation. The recall involves sport v2 and classic v1 model single-seat jogging strollers sold at specialty juvenile stores from May 2008 through July 2010.
Consumers are advised to stop using the strollers and contact phil&teds USA at 877-432-1642 to arrange for the shipping of a free hinge-cover kit. The repair kit may be ordered online at: http://www.philandteds.com.


text:
There's big excitement for British tech fans - the long awaited iPad has finally gone on sale in the UK.
Some people queued overnight so they could be the first to get their hands on the new gadget.
Hundreds turned up at the Apple store on London's Regent Street, which opened at 8am.
17-year-old Jake was the first customer. He'd queued for 20 hours! He said: "It's everything I hoped for and I can't wait to get going on it."
The new iPad
The iPad is made by Apple, the same company behind the popular iPhone.
The new gadget is a cross between a touchscreen phone and a laptop.
It costs between £429 and £699, depending what extras you want with it.
It can be used to watch films, play games and read books and newspapers. You can also browse the web on it.
The iPad first went on sale in the US in April and one million were snapped up in the first month.
Now it's available in the UK and another eight countries. The launch date was put back so that Apple could cope with the demand in America.


text:
Cardano Developer IOG Restructures to Venture Studio Model, Lays Off Some Staff
Blockchain research and engineering firm has shed staff as it transitions towards a smaller venture studio business model.
Cardano developer Input Output Global (IOG) announced they have laid off unspecified employees as they transition into becoming a “venture studio” with a more lean core business model, according to Charles Hoskinson – one of IOG and Cardano co-founders.
Hoskinson noted, “IOG has been transitioning into a venture studio model with a more compact core and multiple spinoffs. To take full advantage of this business model, we have consolidated and eliminated groups deemed redundant or no longer relevant.”
The new venture studio model will create several spinoffs, such as Lace wallet division and Prism identity framework framework, as well as Cardano-related infrastructures.
Hoskinson reports that IOG staff at its executive level were mostly cut, while CEOs for Midnight and RealFi have hired additional staff as a result of IOG hiring them.
Hoskinson predicted that three to five companies will be spun out each year using this model, where aspects like strategy and commercial are not handled centrally but instead assigned directly to spinout CEOs.
CoinDesk requested an answer from IOG regarding which roles had been eliminated within their company, however no representative did immediately reply to us.


text:
#BoycottBudweiser is now going viral and here’s why.
A Super Bowl ad from Budweiser that focuses on how hard it is for an immigrant to travel to the United States and become a citizen has sparked a backlash.
The ad centers around the story of Budweiser’s German founder Adolphus Busch, who traveled to the U.S. in 1857, later teaming up with Eberhard Anheuser to brew the iconic American beer.
In the commercial, Busch is ostracized because he doesn’t “look like he’s from around here.” Despite the abuse, he goes on to launch a company and make history because “nothing stops your dream.”
While the commercial is a celebration of the American Dream and is not linked to Donald Trump’s immigration executive order ban, many people took to social media to criticize the company.
— President Trump (@SupportDonald) February 1, 2017


text:
Compiled features on recent developments in regional cooperation and integration in the SASEC region.
Prolonged closure of border haats will decrease income opportunities for border residents of both India and Bangladesh. But if border haats are to be reopened, operational guidelines will have to be amended to ensure personal and public safety in the time of COVID-19.
Tags: Bangladesh, India, Border Haat, Trade, COVID-19
Mr. Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation, Government of India, and Mr. Tofail Ahmed, Minister of Commerce, Government of Bangladesh, held a bilateral meeting on 26 September 2018 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to discuss matters of trade, investment, and connectivity. The two ministers agreed to undertake a joint study for a potential Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, and fast-track six new border haats.
Tags: Bangladesh, India, Connectivity, Trade, Border Haat, Ports, Rail
The Governments of Bangladesh and India are preparing a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to expand their agreement on Bangladesh-India border ‘haats’ (markets). The MOU extends the provision to operate border haats to five years, increases the number of vendors allowed, and sets a $200 purchase limit per person.
Tags: Bangladesh, India, Trade, Border Haat


text:
Montreal, QC, August 29 2019 – TickSmith, a software company that provides big data platforms that tackle capital markets data at scale and address many of the associated pains in the industry, announced today the appointment of Peter Marsden as Senior Vice President Sales and Product Europe.
Francis Wenzel, CEO of TickSmith, commented on today’s news, “TickSmith is growing in all areas of the company, having tripled the number of employees in just a year. Peter joins us with 34 years of experience at Refinitiv in the real-time market data space alongside his deep knowledge of product and account management. In his new role, he will be contributing to our acquisition of new clients, growing our product offering, and ensuring current clients’ continued success.”
Marsden is excited to start at TickSmith and says, “I am hugely enthusiastic about the need for big data solutions across Capital Markets and beyond. TickSmith has great products to meet customers needs. They also have fabulous technologists who are passionate about the industry and their customers. I’m really impressed and amazed by how brilliant and focused the team is. I look forward to working with the team and with clients to further our strategy and execution, so we can deliver the products our customers need to stay on top of their mountains of data.”
TickSmith has been specializing in big data technology since 2012 and believes the increase in quantity and variety of data is a once-in-a-generation change in Capital Markets infrastructure requirements. TickSmith’s solutions provide better data workflow, management and delivery and are used by leading financial institutions, exchanges and data providers.


text:
Best viewed on a device with a bigger screen...
Below is a list of our U.K. Publications for the last 6 months. If you are looking for reports older than 6 months please email email@example.com, or contact your account rep
Please use the filters on the right to search for a specific date or topic.
Reopening Stock-take: So Far, So Good, But a Long Way to Go
19th Apr 2021 18:00U.K.
The Economy Continued to Hibernate in February, But will Wake Up Soon
13th Apr 2021 18:00U.K.
GDP Likely Edged Up in February, Despite Unchanged Lockdown Rules
12th Apr 2021 00:00U.K.
The Recovery in Retail Sales will Fall Flat, After the Q2 Upswing
29th Mar 2021 00:00U.K.
GDP is Rebounding, Despite Little Change in Lockdown Rules
25th Mar 2021 18:00U.K.
Big Trade Deficits Likely will Return Later this Year
17th Mar 2021 18:00U.K.
Will the Vaccinated Population Continue to Grow Rapidly in Q2?
10th Mar 2021 18:00U.K.
Official Data to Confirm Retailers had a Bad Start to 2021
16th Feb 2021 18:00U.K.
Higher Commodity Prices will Send CPI Inflation Briefly Above 2%
8th Feb 2021 18:00U.K.
DP Likely Recovered in December, but Remained in the Doldrums
8th Feb 2021 00:00U.K.
UK 2 Feb 2021
1st Feb 2021 18:00U.K.
December Retail Sales Failed to Recover Much after the Lockdown
19th Jan 2021 18:00U.K.
November GDP Shows More Firms are Becoming Lockdown-Immune
18th Jan 2021 00:00U.K.
Investors almost certainly are right to price-in only a minuscule chance that the MPC will reduce Bank Rate below 0.10% on Thursday.
14th Dec 2020 18:10U.K.
Near-real-time data suggest that economic activity has not fully recovered to October's level after England's lockdown ended on December 2.
8th Dec 2020 18:10U.K.
News from AstraZeneca that its vaccine is 70% effective at preventing Covid-19 symptoms leaves leaked government plans for a rapid immunisation programme looking realistic.
24th Nov 2020 18:10U.K.
The consensus for a mere 0.3% month-to-month fall in the official measure of retail sales volumes--the data are released on Friday--looks too sanguine. We look for a fall...
17th Nov 2020 18:10U.K.
Equity markets are correctly concluding that the outlook for U.K.-listed manufacturers is brighter than for most other firms.
3rd Nov 2020 18:00U.K.
The Chancellor's alterations to the Job Support Scheme--JSS--yesterday were substantial enough to reduce meaningfully the scale of job losses ahead.
22nd Oct 2020 19:10U.K.
September's retail sales figures, released on Friday, look set to show that spending climbed to a new record-high, despite this year's decline in households'...
20th Oct 2020 18:10U.K.
Filter by Keyword
Filter by Publication Type
Filter by Author
Global Publications Only
Filter by Date
Inflation Growth Labour Market Monetary Policy Fiscal Policy Quantitive Easing Trade Investment Housing Inventories Banks Money Credit Inflation Expectations Asset Prices Industry Services Balance of Payments Saving Profits Companies Central Banks
U.K. Document Vault,


text:
Bosses at two businesses in Hull have told how they avoided the cliff edge of Covid-19 and made changes which delivered record results and now provide a platform for further growth.
Sally Wray, owner of tool and equipment hire specialist GoHire, handled home schooling and feeding her staff and has now sealed two major acquisitions in the last month.
Martin Shaw, Managing Director of D3 Office Group, reaped the rewards of keeping in contact with customers and shifting the focus of his business. Between March and September he sold PPE worth £1.8 million – a market which had brought in just £4,000 during the same period in 2019.
Sally bought Arnott Plant Hire in January 2015. By the end of the year she had rebranded to Go Hire and relocated to bigger premises in Goulton Street, Hull.
At the beginning of September this year she received a call asking if she wanted to buy the Grimsby branch of Caspian Access and Plant Hire. She completed the deal on 1 October.
Now Sally has bought the former Sully’s social club in Chamberlain Road, Hull. Work will start as soon as possible on converting it with the aim of opening in January. Having inherited a team of three, Sally will employ more than 20 when the new sites are fully-operational.
She said: “When the lockdown started we took the decision to stay open because some of our customers were essential workers but we went from being a buoyant business to falling off a cliff.
“Some staff were furloughed and some worked from home. I was fitting in home schooling, which is miles more difficult than anything I have ever done, and I was bringing food to work for everybody because they didn’t have time to get out.
“It was really quiet at first so we took the time to reorganise the warehouse and tidy up and gradually things started to build again. Our customers paid promptly, more than I have ever known, and there was a feeling that we were all in it together.”
The turning point was the heatwave in April, which attracted a lot of domestic customers.
Sally said: “We were getting calls from people doing projects in their gardens. They’d had refunds on their holidays and the travel industry’s loss was our gain. We are about 80 percent B2B but in April it was more like 50-50. It just got busier and busier and in May it was chaos.
“Grimsby was an opportunity that just fell into my lap. The call came out of the blue. Grimsby was part of my plan – it came a bit sooner than anticipated but was too good to walk away from.
“Chamberlain Road had been on the cards since the beginning of the year and we plan to open in January. We are 30 per cent up on last year. September was a record month and October could beat it.”
D3 Office Group, which has sites in Hull and Sherburn-in Elmet, was hit as its furniture suppliers stopped manufacturing and its workwear business dropped to 10 per cent of normal levels.
Martin said: “We never closed because many customers were getting in touch and telling us how much they needed us, and we took a lot of heart from that. We were open, speaking to people regularly and they asked about supplying other things that they needed.
“Our biggest lines have been surgical masks and disposable gloves. Before this we only did them in small quantities and we didn’t know anything about that market but we learned quickly because we had to check the credentials and certification.
“The furniture side is now focusing on people who work from home. Employers realise they have had people sitting on kitchen chairs, and in the longer term they will need better equipment.
“They are also thinking what their office will look like in the longer term. They won’t have as many people but they still want a nice environment because it helps productivity. We have been asked about redesigning offices as well. It’s going to be more IT-led.”
Martin and Sally shared their lockdown stories during a Zoom event organised by For Entrepreneurs Only (FEO) in partnership with David Hall, co-founder of FEO and author of a number of business books including his latest “Telling Tales”.
David said: “The idea was to bring together some of our entrepreneurs from Hull and East Yorkshire and hear their first-hand accounts of how they faced up to the threats posed to their businesses by Covid-19.
“GoHire and D3 Office Group are just two of the fantastic, positive stories that we heard. There were examples of great leadership in every case, positive mental attitude, a can-do mindset, being able to develop people, finding people within who can help, communicating with people and keeping the team onside.
“What we have seen and what we like most of all is that people in the audience picked up some ideas and actions that they might be able to take to their own businesses as the uncertainty continues.”
[Phil Ascough – Ascough Associates]


text:
WAKEFIELD, Mass. (Dec. 11, 2015) — Alliance Tire Group (ATG) has launched what it claims is the world's first VF (very high flexion) flotation tire, the 380 VF Flotation Radial.
According to ATG, the tire can carry up to 40 percent more load at the same level of inflation as a conventional radial tire or the same load with 30 percent less pressure. ATG said footprint of the 380 VF at the lower inflation pressure is 25-percent larger than conventional tires.
The Alliance 380 VF has been released in size 650/55R26.5 and 560/55R22.5.
The company said lowered inflation pressure and larger footprint are both key factors in reducing soil compaction, a growing concern to farmers globally as equipment manufacturers develop larger, heavier machines. Soil compaction has been identified by scientists as a global threat to sustainable land use, limiting crop yields by as much as 70 percent, reducing a field's capacity to store moisture, causing greater soil erosion and lowering the fuel efficiency of fieldwork, ATG added.


text:
If you were to read Google’s recent announcement that they are moving towards universal HTTPS encryption for all ads, you’d likely come away with the idea that they’re being proactive about protecting users and websites that display ads.
However, the reality is that Google has had several problems with ads, some of which they admitted to, and some of which they fixed only after pitchforks and torches were brought out. In fact, just a few days ago, the MalwareBytes blog talked about how ads from AdSense that could infect people with ransomware1 showed up on major sites like huffongtonpost.com.
As the image from MalwareBytes shows, the ad looked legitimate, but when people clicked on it, it redirected them to another site with an exploit kit. The hackers were taking advantage of an exploit in older versions of Flash, so people with up-to-date software were not affected.
Ars Technica points out that just a few days later, another Flash based exploit was being used in another legitimate looking ad, which was displayed through merchenta. Although it’s unclear if those ads were displayed through the DoubleClick network, merchenta does have ties to and works directly with Google.
Horse: running through the field; barn door: firmly shut
After ad issues that cropped up within days of each other, Google coincidentally announced that they are huge proponents of HTTPS Everywhere and will be making ads more secure.
By June 30, 2015, the vast majority of mobile, video, and desktop display ads served to the Google Display Network, AdMob and DoubleClick publishers will be encrypted.
Google also points out that many of their services are already running on this standard, including search, Gmail, YouTube and YouTube ads.
 Pretty much exactly what it sounds like. If you’re infected, the only way to gain access to your Internet or files is to pay the hackers and get a code that unlocks whatever they’ve done.


text:
And just like that, Netflix has confirmed that Pokémon The Movie: Secrets of the Jungle will be making its debut on the streaming platform starting next month. Accompanying the announcement, a new trailer was also shared that you can see here.
In the trailer, we can see Ash and Pikachu venturing into the jungle to discover new Pokémon, plus they also meet Coco and her Zarude. The jungle is also home to the Healing Spring, which manages to capture the attention of a group of scientists. It seems that Ash and company will have to make sure they safeguard the jungle from their evil intentions.
And speaking of Pokémon, recently, Krispy Kreme announced a new collaboration with the franchise, and here you can learn more details about it.
Pokémon The Movie: Secrets of the Jungle comes to Netflix on October 8.


text:
A Tesla owner claims to have come up with an environmentally friendly solution to mining Bitcoins, something that is becoming increasingly difficult as the popularity of the cryptocurrency soars.
This solution could be the perfect answer to all mining problems, as the current mining rigs use so much power â they are accountable for using 0.13% of the worldâs total energy consumption. This equates to more than the whole of Ireland!
So how have they done this, and is it really the perfect solution?
According to a Facebook post on the Tesla Owners Worldwide page, the owner has installed a Bitcoin mining rig in the boot of his Tesla Model S, which supposedly uses the free energy, which has been supplied by Teslaâs Supercharger network, allowing them to mine the Bitcoins completely free of charge.
This particular software can be installed on anyoneâs computer, with the aim of identifying a sequence of data which is known as a âblockâ, which then generates a pattern when the Bitcoin âhashâ algorithm is applied to the data. The first computer that does this will then win the Bitcoins.
New Bitcoins are uncovered using the âProof of Workâ algorithm. There are a total of 21 million Bitcoins in the pot, and as we move ever closer to that number, the energy consumption is simply going to keep on rising.
Despite claiming that there is in fact a free way to mine Bitcoins, it has sparked a lot of controversy since the post went viral, with many experts questioning its legitimacy. Daniel Oberhaus from Motherboards has branded the solution âstupidâ, as he points out that the rig is missing the specialised computer chips needed to perform the repetitive calculations in order to verify the Bitcoins. He delves further into the possible problems, explaining that the number of GPUâs in the boot will make the vehicle âunbearably hotâ, and that the solution would simply be costly and unfeasible.
Tesla Car Image Source: Wikipedia.org


text:
Researchers from The University of Manchester have found that, on average, the carbon footprint of the ready-made sandwich is around twice that of a sandwich made at home.
The team considered the whole life-cycle (from production of ingredients through to waste management) of sandwiches with 40 different fillings, ‘focusing on most popular consumer choices in the UK’, and for each estimated the impact of a homemade sandwich and its industrial equivalent.
The findings of the study, published in Sustainable Production and Consumption in late December 2017, included:
The Independent reported that agricultural production and processing of ingredients accounted ‘for around 37% to 67% of CO2 equivalent for ready-made sandwiches. Packaging material contributed 8.5% of CO2 equivalent and transporting and refrigerating adding a further 4%.’
The researchers then considered various options for improvement, including changes in the cultivation of ingredients, recipe changes, reduction of food waste, alternative packaging and different waste management options. Their findings suggest that:
The study also explored how the information on the carbon footprint could be combined with nutritional data to assist consumers in making more informed food choices. As The Guardian noted, it: ‘recommends reducing or omitting certain ingredients that have a higher carbon footprint, like lettuce, tomato, cheese and meat. Reducing ingredients such as cheese and meat would also reduce the amount of calories eaten, contributing towards healthier lifestyles.’
Quoted by The New Scientist, report co-author Adisa Azapagic said ‘people shouldn’t ditch sandwiches, as eating them probably has less impact than a full restaurant meal. “You must take the results in context, and this was looking at sandwiches simply to create awareness of their potential impact.”’
Using bread, instead of an industrial loaf, to assemble a homemade sandwich was not one of the variables considered by the researchers.
Real Bread Campaign
Real Bread Campaign: The Real Bread Campaign finds and shares ways to make bread better for us, better for our communities and better for the planet. Whether your interest is local food, community-focussed small enterprises, honest labelling, therapeutic baking, or simply tasty toast, everyone is invited to become a Campaign supporter.
Don’t miss your chance to learn from all five Real Bread Campaign ambassadors (Richard...
An investigation by the Real Bread Campaign has found up to 26 ingredients and additives, including...
From sourdough to smørrebrød, bready binges have been ranked amongst the...
Real Bread Campaign supporters Paul Barker and Alex Gooch again have collected honours at the...
Real Bread lovers rejoice: Researchers have concluded that avoiding carbs might increase...
Meat sample tests show that powerful antibiotics which should be reserved for human health are...
Three politically charged words sum up the problem of trying to assess whether the draft...
Urban Food Fortnight kicks off today, and with almost 100 events celebrating all that is grown,...
Agri-tech scientists are calling on the government to relax the rules on gene editing after Brexit....
Sustain’s Growing Health campaign helps Sow the City provide a well being garden for those at...
The Green House
244-254 Cambridge Heath Road
Projects & campaigns
Better Food Britain
Better Hospital Food
Children's Food Campaign
Food and Farming Policy
Food co-ops toolkit
Good Food For London
London Food Link
Planning Food Cities
Real Bread Campaign
Roots to work
Save Our Antibiotics
Sugar Smart UK
Sustainable Fish Cities
Sustainable Food Cities
The Big Dig
Urban Food Fortnight


text:
Golden Enterprises, Inc. (the “Company”) and Utz Quality Foods, Inc. of Hanover, PA (“Utz”) announced that they entered into a definitive merger agreement on July 18, 2016, pursuant to which Utz will acquire the Company and Company stockholders will receive $12.00 per share in cash
Hilary’s, the creator of convenient and culinary foods made from real ingredients and free from common allergens, has unveiled four new flavor-packed salad dressings: Chili-Lime Vinaigrette, Beet Vinaigrette, Tomato Kalamata Dressing, and Spicy Island Dressing
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) recently issued the following statement from Pamela G. Bailey, president and CEO, on passage by the House of Representatives of bipartisan national legislation on disclosure of genetically engineered ingredients.
The Los Angeles Times recently announced the event lineup and participating chefs, bartenders and restaurants for The Taste, its annual festival celebrating Southern California’s culinary scene. Hosted by The Times Food staff and acclaimed chefs and bartenders
Two of America’s Icons, Hostess and Mars Chocolate North America, have come together to offer two new delicious treats hitting stores nationwide this month: Hostess® Brownies made with M&M’s® chocolate candies and Hostess Brownies made with MILKY WAY pieces
Fiberstar, a global market leader in clean label food ingredient solutions expanded Citri-Fi’s use in new food applications. According to the Food Safety and Inspection Service’s (FSIS) New Technology #13-ING-0958-N-B, Fiberstar’s Citri-Fi products, including Citrus Flour and Citrus Flour with Guar Gum, are approved as binders in processed egg products (liquid, frozen and dried whole eggs)


text:
Automakers look outside for white-collar expertise
Trend could turn Big Three into auto assemblers in a few years, analysts say, but unions are fighting hard to protect their fiefdom. US automakers, having retrieved lost ground from Japan, intend to sustain their competitive edge. Part 4 of a weekly series.
| WARREN, MICH.
TOM WAMSER is a modest, clear-eyed man. For years, he says, he believed his prized skill as a maker of wood models for the design workshop at General Motors Corporation in Warren, Mich., guaranteed him more job security than most other blue-collar autoworkers.
Several months ago, however, GM began reassigning Mr. Wamser and his highly skilled, unionized peers to humdrum work and giving their challenging tasks to outside contractors or to salaried workers with computers.
As the father of five children, with a wife who was unemployed until late June, Wamser says he saw the quiet management shifts as a threat to his family's livelihood. So on June 2, he and 3,500 other members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) at GM's technical center went on strike.
Wamser is one of tens of thousands of United States autoworkers who feel their living standards are threatened by the Big Three automakers increasingly hiring outside companies to provide parts and services.
By ``outsourcing,'' the three companies reap big savings in labor costs, extending their competitive advantage over companies in Japan and Europe that pay higher wages to autoworkers.
Moreover, the US companies quietly sidestep organized labor and enlist a weakly unionized and comparatively compliant work force. Workers at independent parts plants earn about one-half the wages of assembly-line workers at the Big Three. Moreover, only 1 out of every 5 of them is unionized.
After a six-day strike, the hourly, highly skilled GM workers at Warren won assurances that managers would turn to outside contractors only after fully utilizing GM staff, says Earl Hartman, vice president for UAW Local 160.
Although Wamser and other UAW members express cautious satisfaction over the results of their strike, Wamser says he is worried about the seemingly relentless erosion of secure manufacturing jobs that have traditionally been the bedrock of the middle class.
``We're losing the American dream,'' he says, referring to the high living standards associated with stable, well-paying manufacturing jobs.
Over several weeks, Chrysler and GM employees involved in media relations declined to act on repeated requests for interviews with senior executives familiar with outsourcing.
Problems for US labor
The outsourcing trend has intensified two long-term problems for US labor: the decline in the number of high-paying, unionized manufacturing jobs and, by extension, the weakening of the organized labor movement.
``Outsourcing directly undermines union power,'' says Mike VanAcker, a leader of the 861 UAW salaried employees at the Chrysler Corporation technology center who walked out in late May for the same reason as their counterparts at GM.
The policy of shifting operations outside a company is in line with an incipient but increasingly popular business strategy called ``agile manufacturing.''
As part of the new method, articulated by auto executives and government officials in 1991, a company aims to break down traditional management practices that hinder close, flexible relationships with suppliers and consumers.
Outsourcing is not new. Ford and Chrysler have increasingly turned to outside suppliers since stumbling to the brink of bankruptcy in the early 1980s. General Motors began doing so early this decade after a severe fall in sales in North America.
But outsourcing in the past year has extended up the wage and skill ladder. The walkouts at GM and Chrysler illustrate that the Big Three's white-collar and highly skilled blue-collar employees are no longer shielded by their companies from the competition of outside workers.
The UAW apparently believes that at best it can fight a rearguard battle against outsourcing and otherwise use the trend to extract concessions from management.
The union last year negotiated a three-year contract with the automakers that required GM, the country's most financially troubled auto company, to accept the same wages and benefits package as Ford, the most profitable among the Big Three.
The move was viewed by industry analysts as a silent signal by the union that GM could emulate the methods of Ford in raising productivity and relying more on outside suppliers. In return, the union won about $2 billion in compensation for workers who were scheduled to be demoted.
``Older union leaders say, `We can't win, let's just cash out, there's nothing we can do before this big tidal wave,' '' says Sean McAlinden at the Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The tsunami of outsourcing has yet to fully crest. Both Ford and GM have indicated that they plan to buy more from outside suppliers. Already, GM farms out 52 percent of the value of a vehicle; Ford, 63 percent; and Chrysler, 67 percent.
Union membership thins
If GM were to hire outside companies at the same level as Chrysler, it would eliminate as many as 60,000 jobs. Ford would cut 10,000 jobs, according to Mr. McAlinden. This would further undercut the UAW, which has already seen its membership shrink by about one-half since 1979 to 770,000 workers.
Since the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the automakers have urged suppliers to exploit dramatically lower labor costs by shifting plants to Mexico.
If current trends continue into the next century, the Big Three will not be automakers but rather auto assemblers, industry analysts say.
The companies will pay a smaller force of unionized workers than today to make drivetrains and work at stamping and assembly plants. But auto components from headrests to brake pedals will come from parts suppliers that provide workers far less in wages and benefits than the assemblers.
As the recent strikes have shown, outsourcing threatens most salaried and hourly workers regardless of their skill level. The trend has taken many employees at the technology centers of GM and Chrysler by surprise, employees at the two companies say.
``There was a problem with the tech centers: They thought they were isolated, like college campuses within the corporation, and they didn't expect to be affected by real-world events like market share and sales,'' McAlinden says.
The stress from outsourcing is clear at the vast GM technical center in Warren, Mich. There, about 20,000 employees work at the headquarters for GM's North American Operations, the Chevrolet and Cadillac divisions, and design, engineering, and vehicle launch facilities.
GM has steadily shifted engineering, design, and other jobs from highly skilled union workers to salaried employees or to laborers at other companies, according to several employees.
``The place is infested with contract people,'' says the UAW's Mr. Hartman. In some cases, a GM employee has retired on a Friday and returned to his desk the next Monday working for another company, Hartman says.
At Chrysler's technology center in Auburn Hills, Mich., the salaried designers walked out because they say the automaker was increasingly hiring outside contractors to perform jobs traditionally held by the unionized employees. It was the first strike by the unit of UAW Local 412 since its founding more than a half-century ago, Mr. VanAcker says.


text:
Chevrolet Camaro SS
Camaro fans were disappointed when Chevrolet decided to retire the nameplate after the 2003 model year. It looks like Mustang had finally won the muscle car battle since the Firebird was also discontinued, and Mustang was the only domestic pony/muscle car still on the market at the moment. However, it turned out that Chevrolet was waiting for the right moment to return the Camaro to the market in a redesigned and re-engineered form. That moment came in late 2009 when a brand-new fifth-generation Camaro arrived on the market (via Edmunds).
After a few years of concept cars and design renderings, Chevrolet finally introduced its modern interpretation of the classic Camaro with brand-new and highly advanced engines. The 2010 Camaro was a triumph of retro-futuristic design and engineering. GM’s Zeta platform was highly sophisticated and gave the new model sports car-like road holding and driving dynamics. The base engine was a V6. But right from the start, fifth-generation Camaro buyers had the option of the SS model with a 6.2-liter V8 engine and 426 HP. That powerplant made the 2010 Camaro SS one of the fastest domestic cars at the time. With an advanced chassis and brutal performance, the Camaro SS was far better than the Mustang GT of the same vintage, which helped Chevrolet beat Ford in the sales war.


text:
With the "E-Cigarette" anti-smoking aid, smokers can look tech-savvy while kicking a nicotine habit.
In a recent study, just 3 minutes of the highly visual game dramatically reduced participants' cravings for food, alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine.
A new multi-functioning device purportedly lets users get their nicotine fix, make phone calls, and stream MP3s.
Google is not nicotine, despite what competitors may think: you can live a Google-free life without too much difficulty.
Crown7's battery-powered devices use cartridges filled with nicotine, tobacco flavoring, water, and propylene glycol to recreate the sensation of smoking.
With the rise in prominence of "e-cigs," electronic cannabis may not be too far behind. A Dutch company claims it's created the first legal e-joint.
An interactive graphic from substance abuse recovery site Withdrawal.net shows the costs of being a famous fictional figure with a habit.
In this segment from the upcoming "Always On" show, Molly Wood visits a high-tech electronic cigarette manufacturer to learn that the future of smoking is actually "vaping."
Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden have developed a new kind of breathalyser that detects a lot more than just alcohol on your breath.
A variation in one gene, CHRNA4, is more prevalent among those who are addicted to being online than those who are not -- and is in fact significantly more common in women, say researchers.


text:
American Express (NYSE:AXP) issued an update on its FY19 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of $7.85-8.35 for the period, compared to the Thomson Reuters consensus earnings per share estimate of $8.14.
A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AXP. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of American Express from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and upped their target price for the stock from $123.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Thursday. Oppenheimer set a $119.00 target price on shares of American Express and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. DZ Bank lowered shares of American Express from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Bank of America reiterated a neutral rating and set a $108.00 target price on shares of American Express in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Co reiterated a buy rating and set a $125.00 target price (up from $115.00) on shares of American Express in a research report on Tuesday, March 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $114.20.
AXP traded up $1.72 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $117.60. The stock had a trading volume of 2,899,072 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,559,799. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.64, a quick ratio of 1.93 and a current ratio of 2.24. The firm has a market cap of $96.12 billion, a PE ratio of 16.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.11. American Express has a 1-year low of $89.05 and a 1-year high of $117.73.
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 5th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 4th. American Express’s dividend payout ratio is 21.28%.
In other news, EVP Richard Petrino sold 2,444 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.11, for a total transaction of $261,776.84. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,591 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $813,072.01. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael John O’neill sold 15,749 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.94, for a total transaction of $1,794,441.06. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 69,941 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,969,077.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 30,693 shares of company stock valued at $3,343,968 in the last three months. 0.21% of the stock is owned by insiders.
About American Express
American Express Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides charge and credit payment card products, and travel-related services to consumers and businesses worldwide. It operates through three segments: Global Consumer Services Group, Global Commercial Services, and Global Merchant and Network Services.
Recommended Story: Bond
Receive News & Ratings for American Express Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for American Express and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.


text:
Tools vendor Compuware has opened a test centre in Slough where users can run applications to check for year 2000 problems, writes Colin Barker. The Application CheckPoint is a 'complete laboratory'...
Could desktop-based containers tackle the enterprise’s VDI shortcomings?
Intel Xeon roadmap leak: 'Sapphire Rapids' with DDR5/PCIe Gen 5 coming in 2021, and 'Granite Rapids' in 2022
Intel's Xeon platform could be facing its biggest competitive challenge in a decade from AMD's forthcoming second-generation Epyc CPUs
Microsoft says it is taking a 'measured and throttled approach' to the launch of the May 2019 Update
EE pulled Huawei handsets from its 5G launch due to 'the Android situation'


text:
Latest Electronic Arts Stories
QA Graphics, a full-service digital design company, won two Platinum Hermes Creative Awards for its Bridge Data Manager Video and MacNeil Carwash Configurator. Ankeny,
Eventure Interactive, Inc.
Mylan Remains Committed to the Compelling, Legally-Binding Commitment to Acquire Perrigo to Generate Significant Value for Shareholders and All Other Stakeholders POTTERS BAR, England and PITTSBURGH,
Darion Lowenstein Named CMO; David Chang Head of Industry Relations LOS ANGELES, May 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Gamblit Gaming, leading technology innovator for real-money gaming in mobile
“Berlin Packaging’s focus on the future is to be bold and to be provocative while shaking up the industry a little bit more.” Andrew Berlin Chicago, IL
LAS VEGAS, May 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Scientific Games Corporation (NASDAQ: SGMS) (the "Company") announced today that it will release results for the 2015 first
CORAL SPRINGS, Florida, May 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a recent Forbes article [http://www.forbes.com/sites/archenemy/2015/04/29/digital-drug-of-choice-mobile-games-2
HOUSTON, April 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- EV Energy Partners, L.P.
LOVELAND, Colo., April 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Heska Corporation (Nasdaq: HSKA) announces the following Webcast: What: Heska Corporation Invites
SANTA CLARA, Calif., April 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Coherent, Inc.
- To befool; deceive; balk; jilt.
- An illusion; a trick; a cheat.